Sectional insulator or cut-out switch



May 24. 1927.

. R. A. SUPPES SECTIONAL INSULATOR 0R CUT- 0 .11 SWITCH Original med Au 29. 1924 2 Shoots-Sheet 1 4 1629 893 M 1927 R. A. SUPPES SECTIONA L INSULATQR 0R CUT -QUT lSWITCH Original Fil d 2- 29. 1 2 '2 smu-smi 2 a to provide an improved device ofthis chars; acter of simple'a'nd durable construction an'df efficient in operation; andwhereby cthe 'elec-;

'trical circuit may be'opened', or closed-by" downwardly andupvvardly oscillating a; cire cuit-controlling element embodying "a." COLT-1;

Patented May 24,1927; 7

UNITED ST foFFicE-fj Hosanna. surrns, or aonusrowm PENNSYLVANIA;

' SECTIONALJNSULATOR oaou'r -oumswrron. r

, Applic'ation'filed August 29,1924, Seria1 1To.:735,030. Renewed une 24, 1926'."

This invention relates-to a-sectional insu-- lator or cut-out switch of the type used for dividing the conductor or trolley wire and;

'is more particularly intended for general use in mines andsimilar places.

The primary object of the ducting and an insulatingimemb'er foi alter nate disposition relatively to conducting means to which the terminals of trolleywires are connected.

A further object oftlie invention is toip roe vide a sectional insulator or cut-out; switch of the type specifiedwhiclris arranged in such manner that the engaging knife switch blades, partlcularly when thedevice is mstalled in a mine, are between the trolley wire and the gob side of the'entry or gang way and on the side opposite the location of the operatinghandle, thus elimmatingtall liability of contact'with additionaljexposed electrically charged parts and also "brotect-T ing the operator from the possibility of being burned on account of the are frequently, caused in making and breaking an electrical circuit. n

The present improved sectional insulator or cut-out switch has the several components,- and particularly the operating handle, so ,arranged that at no time can the handle extendout from the center line of the'trolley wirea distance further than that represented the measurement from the centerfline of the trolley wire to the end of the handle, and by this means a very objectionable; condi- 7 tion present in prior devices of thistype where head room'is low is avoided and the possibility of motormen and others striking the protruding handle is lessened. -More-' breaking of the circuit is accomplished more" the inner opposing terminals of the conductor to which (the trolleywires are .atoperation of the handle necessitates the use over, in view of the fact that the -l 1andle operates upwardly and downwardly-in make inz or breaking the circuit, the making and quickly by the operatorand with greater ease, and furthermore such disposition and of only one style of insulatorywhether the trolley wire is on, the right or left side of V the insulator. The handle will alwaysbe:

on. the clearance side of V f 7 said handle-audits parts arenever charged locomotive or motor where it .isnecessary to. a v cross a gap-[under power, On the "other" hand, when the improvec'l sec tional insulaton s opein, a non-conductor.comes .;1llt0 place, thus LllOVVH'lg thelocomotive-or motor to.

run through or past the sectional i'insulatofr I without dewiring or injurying f the trolley, or trolley wheel, the said nonec'onduetor being, sloped slightly" from the", right and left to the center-to allow: moisture :to. flow'to' the center. and drop on, and thereby I prevent partsfrom beingfcharged by pres- "ence oflm'oisture; v insulator" or ci'it-out. switch further complies The. improved sectional with the various State laws and especially therein. for automatically locking itself ope 11. and by havlng in cooperative relation thereto a locking means which is released only by a particular form, of key which cannot ac- .cidentally fall out or be removed until the insulator is opened. WVhen the insulator. is openedthekey may be withdrawnby an authe switch members so -that the handle may be operated vto elfect the introduction of the conductorin the conducting lineor relatively to the conducting members to which the troley wires are attached.

A preferred embod ment sulating member ofthe switch down between tachedg v the. laws of the Department'of Labor and, Industry of Pennsylvania, by having means of the improved SGCtlOhal' nsulator -'or cut-out switch is c shown n the accompanying drawings, Where- 1'isaside elevati'on showing the in I 5 Fig.2 is a" transverse vertical section on' te'1i 2iF c c a Fig. 3'is an end elevation of (the improved insulator or switch showing the/ handle in raised position and the insulating against removal withinthe 3?; and in engagement with "the slotted'eand fingered extremity of the locking tumbler or member 32-is thatithe distance between the adjacent 7 wall of the casing and the 'maximumprojecting portionsor ends of the fingers 37-and 88- is less thanthe diameter of the bit 4-2 of the 'key. Conversely, wvhen; the handle is raised or thrown up obliquely against. the adjacent side of theyin'sulator or cut-out;

switch asshown by-F 3, thebridging in- 1 suiatingmember 22 is thrown in between the inner terminals'of the metallic conductors Grand 7 andtherib 34; rides over in engaging relation to the grooye 35 oi the shaft 19, and imn'iediately the spring 30 operates to press the rib-extremity oi the looking tumbler or member 32 inwardly to effect a locking engagement of the rib relatively to the groove and at the same'time the distance between the opposite slotted and fingered end ot the lockingjtumbler or member andthe adjacent wall of the casing' 23 is increased and-particularly between the innermostfin gers, which will be the fingers '37, andthe said casing wall, and by this meansthe keyfwill be released and may be removed by an authorized operator. The advantage ottorming theone end of -the-lockirig tumbler or V by reason of the fact that the bridging in,-

member 32 With the intersecting slotsand fingers as hereinbef ore explained is that the use of any other form of key ,toTeleasethe tumbler or f locking member is rendered practically impossible; Moreover, as a further protection against unauthorized mani 3- sulating member 22'Iis then brought into alined engagement with or "between the metallic conductors ifi and 7, and without knowledge ofthe operation of the 'imi proved locking IHGQJISYIOI the possession of a 'key similar'to that which willalo'ne re lease the lockingmeans, itfwill be very dif-= ficult and-in fact practically impossible for an unauthorized individual to zopen the lock and close the sectional insulator, or

switch, or bring the bridging conducting member 21 in operative relation between the inner ends ot the' conductors i6 and 7.;

, It will therefore be understood that the irregular operation, and moreover, the posiimproved insulator or cut-outswitchembodies means for rendering it safe against tion of the handle 2 8 will serve as'an in-' dicator or Vmea'ns' to advise an authorized operator at a glance the relative positions of the bridging conductor and. insulating members 21 and 22. It is proposed to have the abutting' ends of the conductors 6 and -7 and the bridging conductor and insulat-.

ing members'2lvand 22 snugly join, so" as to avoid jumps "orwcaring'open joints and deterioration-f trolley .Wheels. As hereinbefor'e indicated, the improved sectional insulator or cut-out switch may be disposed in eitherright orleft position or maybe conveniently installed in a mine to meet various contingencies without requiring modificationor structural variation. Then i the bridging insulating member 22 is dis-;

posed b etweenithe conductors 6 and 7, the motor or locomotive will be' permitted-to I run through the insulator or cut-out. switch 'without dewiring or injuring; thetrolley,

and it is proposed in practice to slope-Stile edge of the bridging non-conductorin such a from becoming -v charged ,whenthe said rmanneras to render iteffective in draining -moisture theretrom and; prevent the parts bridging insulating member ,is in opera-v tive, position bet-ween the metallic, conductors dand 7; The construction of the lock ngtumbler or'membe'r 32 atone end-o as hereinbeiore explained practically .to rks the said endfiand by this simple construetion an irregular vunlocking operation is rendered extremely difficult by means of a fpreign' key orfa keyv other'thanf that prov vided for the locking means Further-v more, the simple up and downmoperation ofthe' handle 28 willellect an alternate disposition of the bridging insulating mem ber 22' or the conducting member 21 be-q' tweenrthe' metallic conductors 6 and 7 and V thereby provide for certainty of operation as may'hedesired and found necessary,

@What is claimed as new is: "'1. In a sectional insulator or font-out switch offlthe class specified, the combination withlongitudinally. alined spa'ced-conductors adapted to have. feed wires .con- J nected thereto, ofoscillatingmeans disposed 7 between the said conductors"- andcarrying a conducting, member and'an insulating member for alternate interposition between the, said conductors, the said oscillating means being movable upwardly and downwardly in planes at right -angles *to' the longitudinally alined conductorsand pros vi'dcd with a handle that will-serve as an indicator'of the positions of the conducting and insulatingmembers, relatively to the spacedconductois; v

2.: In sectional nsulator or cut-out switch of the class, specified, the combination withspacedconductors adapted to have teed wires connected thereto, of an oscillatingpconducting member adapted to be-intel-posedbetween the, said conductors, or 1 withdrawn, means connected to said oscillating member whereby it may be manipulated and locking means independent of said last mentioned means for automatically operating to positively lock said inember against movement after said member is withdrawn from position between said cone ductors. V

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which the locking means includes a lOLJr: ing elementand a device tor yieldingly V urging said element toward lockingposition. Y

4. In a sectional insulator or cut-out switchof the class specified, the combination with a support, of spaced conductors mounted on the support and adapted to have feed wires connected thereto, an oscillating conductingunember adapted to be interposed between the said conductors, or withdrawn, said member having locking means associated therewith. which automatically operates to lock said member against" movement after sa d member withdrawn from position between said 'conductors, said locking means including alocking element, and means yieldingly "urging said element toward locking position- '5; The combination set forth in claim i in-which the locking means includes a key normally in engagement with and held against removal by, the locking element, the arrangement being such that the key is-removable only when the said element is in looking position.

6. The combination set forth in claim 4: in which the locking element constitutes a lever pivoted intermediate its ends upon the oscillating conducting member and has a locking tongue on one side of its pivotal axis and a key engaging andret'aining portion on the opposite side of said axis, the vyielding means acting on the end of the lever remote from the key'engaging portion and tending to expel the key as well as to propel the locking tongue toward locking position when it becomes active.

conductors, the saidjoscillating 1 device being provided with key operated locking means movable therewith and automatically operating to lock'the device open or'with the insulating member between the conductors to prevent shifting of the oscillat ing device to close the circuit byv unauthor-r ized persons. r

8. In a sectional insulator; :or cut-out switch of the class specified, the combination with spaced conductors adapted to have trole ley wires connected thereto, ofan oscillating device interposed between saidv conductors and carrying a conducting memberadapted to be inserted between the, said conductors and withdrawn tromsuch position, and looking means carried by and movable with the said device and having a key, the locking, means automatically locking the said device in open position and permitting the key to be removed, the key'being held'inseparable with the locking means when .theconducting member is interposed between the conductors. v I.

9. In a'switc'h of the class specified,'thecombination with alined conductors having? asp'ace between their inner ends and to the outer ends of which trolley wires are adapted to be'conn'ected. of an oscillatingmeans dis posed between thesaid conductors and car- 7 rying a conducting member and an insulat- 7 ing member at-angles with relationto'each other and sl-ii'ftable as a unit in planes at right angles to the. alined. conductors for alternate movement between the inner spaced ends "of the conductors, andineans carried by thesaid oscillating means releas able only by a key for automatically holding the insulating member between the conductors until released by an authorizedoperator. I

10. In a switch of combination with an insulating supporting means and metallic" conductors secured thereto at opposite extremities and having their inner ends spaced apart and adapted also for attachment of trolley wires thereto, the conductors having switch blade receiving means on one side of the switch, and an oscillating circuit making andbreaking device carried by the said insulating means between theconductors andzhaving switch blades and a c'onductinganember adapted to be inserted. between the said conductors and withdrawn from such position,

the oscillatingdevice being mounted for pivj otal movement in planesat' right" angles to the conductors and having a handle movclass specified, the

able upwardly and downwardlyina verti-v cal direction and serving as an indicating means relatively to-the positions of the'conductor and insulating members, the oscil- 'lating device also being provided with means for automatically locking the switch 11.- In aswitch of the class'specified, the combination with insulating means having metallic conductors secured thereto in spaced relation and provided with means for receiving switch blades and for the atf taclinient of trolley wires, of an oscillating circuit making and. breaking device carry ing a conductingmember' movable into and out of position between the said'conductors, ashaft mounted in the insulating means and on which the said device is oscillatable, said shaft havinga grooX e therein, and auto-v.

j matically operating locking means carried by and movable with the device and inc'lud o rail sections, and contact members carriedby ing a member having a rib to automatically engage the groove ofthe said shaft and lock the switch open. I 1 I s 12. The combination with a support having a central recess,lrailsections carried by the support and terminating at the opposite I ends of. the recess, a movable rail section pivotally supported within the recess for movenien't laterally into and out of alinement with the first rail sections and into and out" of the vertical plane thereof, contact members carried by the ends of the first the ends of the movable rail section for engagement wlth the first" contact members when said movable section is in alinement with the first sections and in the vertical plane thereof.

13. The combination with a support hav "latch for retaining the blade ing a.- central recess, rail sections carried by the support and terminatingin the opposite ends of the recess,.a rail section pivotal- 1y connected to the support for I swinging movement laterally into and out of alignment with the first rail section and into and out of the vertical plane thereof, contact members electrically connected to the ends section is. moved into alignment with the first sections let. Theycombination with .a block' and means for-connecting the sections-of a conductor-therewith, in spacedrelation, of a' switch blade mounted in said block, contact the' conductor and cooperating with the blade, and a spring held and 'key operated en aging position.

11 testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand. v I I I RICHARD SUPPES;

and in the vertical plane. thereof.

out of contact members for connection with the sectionsof 

